Africa Power Vision

Author

NEPAD & Power Africa

Description

Africa Power Vision, APV, is an overarching vision of powering Africa that is consistent with Africa 2063 Agenda. The APV is based on the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and targeted priority energy projects in Africa with the aim of advancing its implementation. It was jointly developed by the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), the Federal Ministry of Finance, Nigeria, the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). APV articulates a long-term plan for increasing access to reliable and affordable energy using Africa’s diversified energy resources in a coherent and well balanced approach consistent with Africa 2063 Agenda.

It primarily seeks to drive and rapidly accelerate the implementation of critical energy projects in Africa through the AU Technical Body, NPCA. APV aims to achieve an 80% residential electrification rate by 2040 and 90% for industry/business, with sufficient energy to deliver to those connected, while also implementing off-grid solutions and making full usage of the vast renewable energy resources in Africa. In addition, it calls for increased regional integration to scale up energy delivery in an efficient manner as well as a focus on effective and cleaner sources of energy in line with global standards. The APV emphasises the critical role of technical skills development and institutional capacity development in Africa in ensuring the development, implementation and sustainability of required energy projects.

There are five pillars that form the bedrock of the vision; these are (i) leveraging domestic resources, (ii) driving GDP growth with electrification, (iii) scale-up of power through regional integration, (iv) running our power assets efficiently and (v) mobilising all available resources.

Going forward, the APV will not only advance the implementation of PIDA and targeted priority energy projects in Africa but will also provide a continental vision and framework under which further energy projects can be developed in a coherent and integrated manner that will eventually achieve Africa’s targeted goals of energy accessibility. The NEPAD Agency, being tasked with the implementation of APV, calls upon African countries and development partners, such as the United States, the European Union and other bilateral/multilateral partners to support and ramp-up energy development in Africa, especially given that the issue of energy is at the core of development constraints on the continent.